I Obtained the Final Boss' Power

Chapter 103 : I Am Groot (1)

I Am Groot (1)

A boy soared toward a massive tree and launched a kick.

At that blow, the face part shattered, and seeing the tree stagger, Duramon opened his mouth wide.

'What the hell is that!'

That giant tree was once Wigmon, a Great Devil who rivaled him in power.

Though it had lost some of its strength due to the seal on this land, it was still on a level humans could not hope to reach.

It had even nearly regained its intelligence and could now speak human language, so its power had grown further.

At the very least, it was stronger than the higher-rank monsters inhabiting the demon realm.

For such a Wigmon to take damage from nothing more than a human's kick was unthinkable.

What's more, that human was just a kid.

"What is that guy?!"

Just as Duramon was questioning whether his eyes deceived him, Silia adjusted her stance and spoke.

"Great Devil Duramon. And Great Devil Wigmon. You two are certainly strong. Of all the opponents I've faced, you're the strongest so far."

She was still trembling even now.

But...

"Except for that one," she added, pointing at Louis, who had just kicked Wigmon.

At her words, Duramon wondered what nonsense this girl was spouting.

"You know well, don't you? That the Great Devil named Palmon died four years ago."

"What relevance does that have...!"

Suddenly Duramon found himself speechless.

An absurd theory came to his mind.

It made no sense, yet was somehow plausible.

"Do you know who killed Palmon?"

"Don't tell me...."

From Silia's mouth, he instinctively sensed that theory was true.

Palmon's death had come as a huge shock to Duramon at the time.

But it was also good news.

One of his rivals had been the first to fall.

'Back then, I sneered at him for getting taken down by a mere human....'

Great Devils could not directly harm one another.

But if they made use of contractors, subordinates, or possessed bodies, it was possible to inflict harm.

So Duramon had thought Palmon died at the hands of another Great Devil's subordinate.

'But that wasn't it.'

Only now did the mystery in Duramon's mind unravel.

"That means that kid...!"

It sounded unbelievable, but it was all true.

Moreover, from the scales covering that kid's leg, an inexplicable sense of dread arose.

"And Duramon. When you first possessed that body, you couldn't adapt and went on a rampage, didn't you? Isn't that right?"

"So what if I did?"

He had actually heard that story before.

Back then, it was from Headmaster Ferus, who'd witnessed that rampage firsthand.

"If Headmaster Ferus hadn't taken a special measure that day, a few people at the scene would have died, right?"

"That's right!"

"Well, what if I have that special measure too?"

At those meaningful words, Duramon frowned.

Ever since taking over the body of Laika Bisted, Duramon had always been wary of one thing.

That one thing was why he vanished from the empire and went into hiding.

It was the torture spell used by the legion.

"That can't be allowed!"

Just as Silia reached out to activate the spell, Duramon charged.

He tried to decapitate her before the spell could activate, but Silia managed to block his sword.

"Urgh!"

"If I kill you before you cast it, that's the end!"

Silia managed to block the first strike, but it was truly daunting.

Even though it was just a simple sword swing, she felt her life was at risk.

"With that paltry aura, do you think you can match my demonic energy!"

Black demonic energy overflowed from Duramon's sword, overwhelming the aura concentrated in Silia's blade.

Silia's sword creaked as if a small stone was being crushed beneath a massive boulder.

"Ugh...!"

The sword's durability reached its limit against that boulder-like demonic energy.

If she continued to be pressed like this, her sword would end up as crushed as a pebble—her survival instinct screamed.

There was no way she could force back that powerful demonic energy by releasing her aura to its fullest.

Was there truly nothing she could do in this situation?

Was this how she would end, crushed and broken?

As fear and other emotions swirled within her, something began to appear to Silia.

'Huh?'

Perhaps due to her extreme concentration, everything seemed to slow down.

It felt like an illusion, as Duramon's sword was suspended in place for what seemed like ages.

Moreover, she began to notice a faint crack in Duramon's demonic energy.

It looked just like a rift.

Just like how even a gigantic boulder could have a weak spot, anything overwhelmingly strong generally had weakened points.

That was now drawn to Silia's eyes.

Why could she see this?

Even Silia herself didn't know.

Why time seemed to flow slowly and her thoughts were so drawn out—she didn't understand.

'But still...'

Silia was determined not to miss this chance.

"A weakness!!"

At the moment her sword reached its limit from the strain, Silia instantly switched her grip.

It was a knife-edge moment—one misstep, and Duramon's pressing blade would cut off her head.

Barely succeeding, she twisted her sword and stabbed the weak point in the demonic energy.

"What?!"

The instant her sword tip jabbed Duramon's blade, the demonic energy scattered like a wave.

Duramon's eyes widened as his fierce demonic energy, which was about to sweep over his opponent, dispersed.

Only a feeble amount was left, and that was not enough to suppress Silia's aura.

Finally getting her chance, Silia thrust her sword with all her might.

Duramon was sent flying and smashed into a building.

*KA-BOOM!!*

Crushing the building, Duramon found himself lying flat on the ground for the first time.

But even after that, it seemed he had not taken a serious wound.

"Amazing."

He got to his feet without trouble, prompting Silia to approach again.

"It's too soon to be surprised."

With those words, she extended her spell-marked hand.

Duramon, realizing what was happening, tried to lunge at her again, but it was too late.

Unlike before, Duramon was already sitting on the ground.

"Agh...!!"

The moment the spell activated, Duramon's legs froze.

His intended movement to slash Silia's neck turned into a stumbling retreat.

"No, don't come out...! Don't come out!!!"

Suddenly Duramon screamed at someone within himself.

Silia, who had frequently used torture spells on prisoners, sensed this was different from any prior victim.

He wasn't writhing in pain.

He was desperately fighting to prevent someone sleeping inside him from waking up.

"Elder Sister! Are you okay?"

At that moment, Louis, who had been fighting the giant tree, shouted over.

If they joined forces, they could surely bring Duramon down, but Louis already had his own opponent.

Sure enough, as he called out to her, vines lashed out at him.

"Should I come help if you're struggling? That guy doesn't seem ordinary."

"I'm fine. Focus on your adversary."

Even though Louis dodged the vines as he asked, Silia answered coolly.

She had needed help at first, but no longer.

"Laika!! How dare you... my demonic energy...!!"

The demonic energy concentrated in Duramon's blade weakened as if he were struggling.

Though not certain, it appeared the spell she'd just used had awakened Laika Bisted within him.

The original owner's resistance was now degrading Duramon's strength.

"Let's each finish our fight and meet up!"

With that, Silia charged at the now-impaired Duramon.

"Got it!"

With a reply, Louis leapt toward the tree's crown, as Silia tried to trigger another spell.

"Not so fast!"

But having withstood the resistance, Duramon swung his sword at her again.

The two blades clashed again, but this time, Silia didn't show any sign of struggle.

"It works, that's for sure."

"Damn you!!"

With reduced strength, Duramon could no longer overwhelm Silia as before.

In fact, it was now the opposite.

Where Silia once grimaced in pain as she was driven back, it was now Duramon's turn to struggle.

"I guess one strike wasn't enough, huh?"

If one spell wasn't enough, all she had to do was use it again.

With that in mind, Silia smiled.

"Shall we start round two?"

****

Meanwhile, Louis, dodging tentacle-like vines, leapt toward a branch.

Each branch was many times larger than a city building.

They were on a scale that dwarfed even the tallest skyscrapers of his world.

Even so, Louis's leg strength was enough to reach it.

In an instant, he landed, using the branch as a stepping stone, and raced toward the shattered face.

The face regenerated as he ran, letting out a monstrous scream.

[―――!!!!!!!]

The sound waves, so powerful they nearly burst eardrums, blasted the buildings on the ground apart.

Any monster or demon caught in the waves was torn to pieces.

"That hurts like hell!"

Louis managed to withstand it, but blood trickled from his ears and mouth.

Not only was it powerful, but also exceptionally loud.

It was particularly effective against Louis, who had highly developed hearing.

[You... You're...!]

The mouth on the regenerated face began to move.

Louis wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke.

"Hey, Groot. Decided to talk at last?"

At Louis's nonchalant tone, Groot... No, Great Devil Wigmon, replied with a look of shock.

[You're not human!]

Whether Palmon or this guy, great Demons seemed particularly sharp-eyed.

[That scale you used to attack my face just now... I wish I could forget it, but I can't!]

"Did you have a history with the Chaos Dragon too?"

[A history? Don't talk nonsense! Reminding me of such horrid memories, I can't stand to recall it!]

Suddenly, the branch under Louis's feet caught fire.

The flames didn't bother Louis, who was resistant to heat, but he was slightly impressed at the sight.

"A forest fire?"

The entire tree was enveloped in black flames.

If he had his phone, he'd want to call the fire department, but there was no need.

This fire was Wigmon's own power.

[I'll thoroughly absorb that strength you have!]

"Why the hell is a plant-type using fire-type skills now?"

[If you mistake a Great Devil like me for a mere plant, you are gravely mistaken!]

Is this a special technique only Great Devils can use? He guessed so.

It didn't make much sense, but Louis let it slide.

After all, he himself was hardly a rational being.

[Die!]

A massive vine shaped like a flaming serpent shot toward Louis.

He dodged by running along the branch, only for a similar vine to suddenly shoot out and entangle him.

[How foolish! Do you think you can run wild inside my body?]

What Louis was standing on was, after all, a part of Wigmon himself.

Wigmon's entire body was a weapon, controlled freely by the Great Devil.

Trying to move about inside such a weapon was as good as suicide.

[Let me burn you now—huh?]

Suddenly, a cold sensation spread from the vine binding Louis.

The black flames surrounding the vine died away and, in an instant, it froze solid.

"You think I didn't know that?"

Freezing the vine, Louis broke free and drew his sword.

This sword was infused with the unique aura that only a knight could produce... accompanied by a chilling cold.

"I haven't just fooled around for the last four years, you know."

With all his might, Louis swung his sword.

An icy slash in the shape of a dragon froze every branch and vine it touched.

It was one of the Chaos Dragon's five attributes.